CO129-478 - Public Offices & Others - 1922 — Page 24

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19090 MOFL

BLANITOUWY.

21

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59015/21

You

concerned, especially the Local Government of British North Borneo, have not got in view the gradual and effective suppression of the use of prepared opium, but are proposing to continue to allow indefinitely the use of prepared opium (no doubt within certain limits) by persons of Chinese origin. It is a policy which will be difficult to defend view of the terms of the Conveuhin.

We have not yet received a reply to the questionnaire from the Straits Settlements, and we do not know whether the position there is the

same or not.

I shall be glad to have your observations on the matter.

I wrote to you on the 26th November asking, among other things, whether the Colonial Office did not think it possible to control exports

from Mesopotamian Ports by an arrangement with the new Government of

İraq, or otherwise. The matter is of considerable importance as

Japan seems to be obtaining an increasing amount of opium from Persia

and Turkey, and I shall be glad to know whether the Colonial Office

have taken the matter into consideration and what they think about it.

Yours sincerely,

malcoli Delevigne

P.S. I see from the reply of the Ceylon Government to the

questionnaire which has just reached me, that a policy of steady

restriction is being pursued there.

(5)

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